On December 9, Delhi’s streets echoed with cries of Sahir Ludhianvi’s sarfaroshi ki tamanna and inquilab zindabad as students Jawaharlal Nehru University continued their protest against a proposed hike in the hostel fees, among others. Gathered at Bikaji Cama Place near Sarojini Nagar, Delhi, the slogans were crushed as the Delhi police lathi-charged the crowd. 

The students have been protesting for over 40 days. Today, the students attempted to march from the university campus to Rashtrapati Bhavan, demanding to meet the president. Adding to the drama is the university examinations have been postponed. Students refuse to return to their classrooms until their demand for a rollback of the fee hike is met.

Today’s protest began at about 2 pm. The university gates were heavily barricaded. Delhi police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel were out full force.

Interestingly, as the students moved to exit the campus, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Federation was holding a “peaceful protest” on the university premises. The JNUTF — a faction separate from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association, which supports the students’ protest — wants the state of affairs to return to normal. 

“We just want the peaceful environment of our college back,” said Brajesh Pandey, a Sanskrit professor and president of JNUTF. “The students should give exams. These students are using hooliganism and derailing from their purpose. Professor Vandana Mishra was kept hostage by them for 32 hours. We demand our own safety as well.”

A student at the protest.

Students aren’t happy with JNUTF’s stance. “These are people who are biased towards administration,” said Shreya Ghosh, a student at the Centre for Political Studies, JNU. “Why are they not ready to even talk to us? Let’s negotiate and then come to a policy which has our inputs as well.”

The disagreement between students and JNUTF took an ugly turn when Professor Atul Johri was chased by students. Johri faces multiple accusations of sexual harassment, leading to his subsequent arrest and bail. Johri was allowed to return to the campus earlier this year. This afternoon, he was chased out of the campus by a large group of students. 

As thousands of students poured out of the campus, the police, CRPF personnel and the media accompanied them on their march to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The protesters are still seething from the events of November 18, when the police lathi-charged them, injuring several students. 

“We have always protested peacefully,” said Vyom Anil, a PhD student. “That’s the idea today also. But we are prepared as well as scared of what they (the police) might do this time.”

Anil’s fears weren’t unfounded. As the students emerged beneath the flyover near Bhikaji Cama Place, they were lathi-charged by the police. A police officer told Newslaundry: “They were supposed to go straight but they took a right instead.” They also claimed the students didn’t have permission to march to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Several students, including women, were thrashed by the police. Preeti Omara, a PhD student, said, “I lost my phone and spectacles. I have bruises on my hand.” One student shouted at the police, “We are also fighting for their kids. Are we mad to get out on the street and get beaten up every other day? These are not the police but gundas in uniform.” 

By 4 pm, the students were sitting outside the Bhikaji Cama Place metro station, agitating against the police. At 5 pm, Aishee Ghosh, president of the JNU Students’ Union, told the crowd to march through Teen Murti Bhavan lane towards the President’s house. 

At this point, the students were lathi-charged by the police for the second time. The police attempted to divert the crowd back to the JNU campus. A police official told Newslaundry: “These are kids. We don’t want to beat them up but we are left with no choice.”

The protesters were accompanied on their march by the media, police and CRPF personnel.

Students were slapped, kicked and beaten with lathis. DCP Srivastava of the Delhi police arrived and asked the students to return to the campus. A group of students, including N Sai Balaji, former president of JNUSU, were herded into a police bus and taken back to the campus. Srivastava told Newslaundry, “We’re not doing any harm to them. They are being dropped back at the campus, and that is it.”

The sloganeering continued throughout. Hasan, a JNU student who is disabled, was on a scooter, distributing water and pamphlets. He said, “All I am is because of this institution. It is time to do my bit.”

Several students dismissed the fact that the university examinations didn’t take place as scheduled. “I won’t be able to afford the fees if the hike isn’t rolled back,” pointed out Shahbaz, a student at the Centre for Political Science. “So what is the point of giving exams? My family does farming and hardly earns Rs 1,000 a month.”

Divya Mandal, a student of JNU, said the effect of the fee hike was worse for female students. “Families in India anyway don’t want to spend money on their daughters,” she said. “The fee hike will make it worse. Delhi is an expensive place to live in. My parents are trying hard to make ends meet as well as educate me.”